If someone needs to express their gender in a way that is different, that is okay, and they should not be denied healthcare. They should not be bullied. They donโt deserve to be victims of violence. โฆ Thatโs what people need to understand, that itโs okay and that if you are uncomfortable with it, then you need to look at yourself.
Laverne CoxIf you have a problem with people living their lives and being authentically who they are, you really should go and do some soul-searching.
Laverne CoxJust me existing, as an openly black transgender woman from a working-class background, thriving, is a political act. My brother always reminds me that if you are black in America and you're alive, you deserve a round of applause. There are so many forces that don't want us to be alive, and so just being openly who I am, and happy and thriving, is a political act.
Laverne CoxBeyoncรฉ says it was Mathew Knowles, her father, who made her understand discipline and work ethic, what it means to come in early before class starts to stretch, or to work on your dรฉgagรฉs or your pirouettes or whatever it was. I was a turner! So to come in early and then to stay afterward and to just soak up everything that the teacher has, that's really what it's about - the striving for excellence.
Laverne Cox